


insomnia

by inkin_brushes



Series: Immortals (Vamp AU) [25]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6282241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkin_brushes/pseuds/inkin_brushes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sanghyuk wants me to stop by his place,” Hakyeon mumbled, standing as he stared down at the message.</p>
            </blockquote>





	insomnia

“Are you finished yet?” Taekwoon asked, voice softly exasperated. 

Hakyeon didn’t look up from his phone. He was crouched in front of one of the local coffeehouses, back pressed to the door. It had long since closed for the night, would be opening back up for the morning in a scant few hours. But their router did not shut off when the lights did, so despite the fact that it was nearly four in the morning, the wifi signal was quite clear. 

“I’m behind on the news,” Hakyeon muttered. “We could always get internet in the apartment, you know. Ask Jaehwan how he did it.”

Taekwoon made a disdainful noise. He’d opted to remain standing, ever vigilant. “I do not see the need.”

“I think you’d like it,” Hakyeon said. A notification popped up, a message from Sanghyuk. Hakyeon tapped it so it opened. “Huh.”

“Mm?” Taekwoon grunted.

“Sanghyuk wants me to stop by his place,” Hakyeon mumbled, standing as he stared down at the message. 

“Is it urgent?”

Hakyeon shook his head, stuffing his phone in his pocket. “No, he says to come by later today, in the afternoon.” Taekwoon simply stared at him, and Hakyeon felt himself smiling. He sidled up to Taekwoon’s side. “What is it?”

Taekwoon wrapped an arm around Hakyeon’s shoulders, tucking him nearer and spiking his body temperature up. “It is cold out.”

“No, it’s not so bad.” Hakyeon blew a breath out, and couldn’t see it in the air, which made him grin at Taekwoon. “See?”

“We’ve been out here for many hours, you still could get sick again.”

Hakyeon hid his grin in the scarf Taekwoon had insisted he put on before they left the apartment. “Yes, I could. Catch the plague and perish.” He swooned a little, in what little room he had to do so, and Taekwoon’s arm around him tightened. “I’m fine, Taekwoon.” He touched the outline of his phone in his pocket. “A bit worried about Sanghyuk, though.”

“You worry far too much about others and not nearly enough about yourself.”

Hakyeon reached up, pressing his palm against Taekwoon’s warm cheek. “That’s because I’m doing okay, right now,” Hakyeon said softly, and Taekwoon turned his head so he could place a kiss to Hakyeon’s palm. 

“You still have not told me— what has been on your mind,” Taekwoon murmured. He grasped Hakyeon’s wrist gently, pulling it away from his face so he could stare at Hakyeon. 

Hakyeon met his gaze, momentarily breathless. Taekwoon was waiting, and Hakyeon was tired, so tired, of denying him, of breaking his heart. He wanted to open his chest up and lay himself bare. But he didn’t even know where to begin.

He swallowed nervously, licking his lips. “Well, uhm, I— I guess I’ve just been— been thinking—” Hakyeon managed to stammer out, before Taekwoon’s head snapped alertly to the side. His body went tense, and it was like Hakyeon was standing beside a marble statue. Hakyeon followed Taekwoon’s gaze down the street, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, sensing nothing. His wards were silent, but his charm was peeping, a bit. “What is it?”

No reply, but suddenly Hakyeon found he wasn’t on the ground anymore, was lurching upwards, fast, too fast— and then he was on a roof top, five stories up, feeling rather disoriented and like he’d left his stomach behind on the ground. Taekwoon was still holding him, staring back down at the street intently, where some headlights had just come into view.

“A car?” Hakyeon asked weakly. That was unusual for this time of night. Not totally unheard of but— unusual. Though not necessitating such a dramatic response, Hakyeon rather thought. “Why did you—”

“Can’t you sense it?” Taekwoon murmured, cutting him off, and Hakyeon looked back down at the car. It was driving slowly down the street, and as it came nearer, Hakyeon’s oak tree tattoo began to fizzle.

“Oh,” Hakyeon whispered, “VCF.” 

The car went right below them, nothing special about it from the outside. It stopped, a little ways past them, and idled. 

“We should go,” Taekwoon murmured, and Hakyeon shut his eyes so he didn’t have to watch the world whiz by as Taekwoon flit them from rooftop to rooftop.

He was decidedly queasy by the time they made it back to their grate. Taekwoon helped him down into the tunnels, and from there half carried him back to the apartment. 

“I’m sorry,” Taekwoon said, as Hakyeon wobbled to the sink to get himself a glass of water. “I forget humans—” He cut off, and Hakyeon couldn’t see him, but he knew Taekwoon had made some sort of gesture.

“It’s ok,” Hakyeon mumbled. “I used to get— get really carsick, when I was little. So, it’s not just a Vampire Express thing.” He sipped at his water. “Do you think the VCF— do you think it was because we were there? Because I was using the internet?”

Taekwoon mulled that over. “Doubtful. The area is a decent one, there are patrols fairly frequently. I think, if anything, we loitered too long. It’s possible a resident of one of the nearby buildings peeked out their window, saw us, and called it in.” 

Hakyeon would, normally, applaud such vigilance, but in this case it was simply irksome. “Urgh.”

Taekwoon ran his hand down Hakyeon’s back soothingly. “The VCF are— incompetent, as a whole. I find them to be pests, but nothing more. Hunters— hunters like you— are usually much more of a threat to our kind.”

“I am vaguely flattered by that,” Hakyeon said, grinning weakly, and Taekwoon gave him a disapproving look. 

“Before we were interrupted you were— were saying something,” Taekwoon said, frown deepening in thought. “Something about— about thinking a lot, of late.”

“Ah,” Hakyeon said, coloring. “Yes, I— yes. I have been thinking a lot lately.” Taekwoon simply looked at him, waiting, and Hakyeon fidgeted nervously with the end of his scarf.

Finally Taekwoon was driven to murmur, “About?”

Hakyeon felt frozen suddenly, utterly, like he could barely even breathe. He opened his mouth, found there were no words, and closed it again. He looked away from Taekwoon’s eyes, more at ease that way, and busied himself taking his scarf off, his coat. “You know,” he muttered, “about stuff.”

Taekwoon followed him around the apartment as he scampered about, putting his scarf on the dresser, the coat on the couch, shoes by the door. “Stuff?”

Hakyeon took a steadying breath, squared his shoulders, and made himself meet Taekwoon’s eyes. “Stuff,” he said decisively. 

Taekwoon sighed. “You are maddening.” 

“I love you?” Hakyeon offered, an apologetic smile playing about his lips. “I promise it’s nothing— nothing bad. And I promise to tell you, as soon as I— I figure it all out a bit more thoroughly.”

Taekwoon let out a long breath, and it came out nearly like a growl. The sound made Hakyeon’s wards titter nervously, and Hakyeon shivered, like that would shake the feeling off. They were generally complacent around Taekwoon, but sometimes there’d be a moment where they would feel the need to perk up and say _vampire_. Like Hakyeon didn’t know.

“Are you plotting some strange surprise?” Taekwoon asked, his frown darkening. “If this has all been some— some odd— birthday surprise— _thing_ —” Hakyeon didn’t mean to, but he burst out laughing, the sound loud in the small space of their apartment. Taekwoon frowned harder and then ducked his head in embarrassment. “You are the most exasperating creature.” 

“I don’t even know when your birthday is,” Hakyeon said, breathless from laughter. “And even if I did— oh, I don’t know what I would do— perhaps take a leaf out of Hongbin and Wonshik’s book, get myself a cute costume, something frilly—” Taekwoon glanced up at him, his eyes flashing, and Hakyeon keyed in on that, feeling his smile curl up higher on one side in a slight smirk. “Oh, oh did I— would you actually like that? Me in a short skirt and heels?” 

Taekwoon reached out, fiddling with the hem of Hakyeon’s shirt in an agitated way. He was looking down, frown like thunder. “No,” he muttered, picking at a loose hem, “I have no interest in— in _heels_.”

“But a skirt?” Hakyeon prodded, voice teasing. He’d never actually considered doing such a thing, dressing up for sex, but it might be worth it, if he got Taekwoon all flustered.

But Taekwoon was shaking his head. “No— I— I don’t—” He huffed, clearly embarrassed. “I like the feeling of lace.”

“Ah,” Hakyeon said, feeling his heart flutter, a spike of heat rushing through him. “So, silk stockings and lace garters?” 

Taekwoon— he sighed, but there was sound with it, feathery and soft, just shy of a whimper. It went right between Hakyeon’s legs. “Yes,” Taekwoon whispered. His fingertips, warm and familiar, snaked under Hakyeon’s shirt, touching the skin of his stomach lightly. “White would look— look lovely, against your skin.” He glanced up at Hakyeon’s face, frowning to hide his embarrassment. “Stop _laughing_.”

“I’m not laughing!” Hakyeon said, but opening his mouth caused him to do just that, the giggles escaping without his consent. “I think it’s— it’s cute, you know?”

Taekwoon made the growly noise again, and he tugged Hakyeon nearer, his hands going to the small of Hakyeon’s back. “I am not cute.”

“You are _so_ cute,” Hakyeon countered. It was true. Even when Taekwoon wasn’t trying— he was adorable. “However, I have to burst your bubble, and say I was not, in fact, plotting to wear lingerie for your birthday.” He grinned up at Taekwoon’s thunderous face. “But now you have me thinking about it—”

Taekwoon groaned, his head falling so his forehead could rest against Hakyeon’s shoulder, his face hidden. 

“I mean,” Hakyeon said, laughing again, “when is your birthday anyway? Maybe I _should_ be plotting something.”

“I am not going to tell you,” Taekwoon mumbled against his neck. A pause. “When is yours?”

“I am not going to tell you,” Hakyeon echoed, trying to match Taekwoon’s tone. Taekwoon bit him in response, not hard, just enough to send a zing through Hakyeon, his wards sparking as he felt the faint brush of fangs on his skin. “June thirtieth,” Hakyeon said breathlessly, hands coming up to clutch at Taekwoon’s arms. 

“Summer,” Taekwoon whispered. “I am not surprised.” 

“Mm,” Hakyeon murmured, smile still lingering on his face. He felt warm, tingly, and he turned so he could nuzzle at the space behind Taekwoon’s ear, mouth pressing to soft, downy hair. “I really do love you, you know.” 

“I know,” Taekwoon said, moving so he could place a kiss to Hakyeon’s pulse point. “I know.”

“Do you love me too?” Hakyeon whispered, soft and teasing.

“More than I think you’ll ever know.”

——

Hakyeon took the stairs up to Sanghyuk’s apartment, a spring in his step. He was well fucked and well rested, and it was sunny and relatively warm out. His optimism was so great that he was even daring to hope that whatever Sanghyuk wanted of him would not burst his little positivity bubble. He hadn’t even been deterred by having to take the bus over.

Sanghyuk opened the door to his apartment before Hakyeon even got a chance to knock. “Hakyeon,” he said, eyes a little wild. “Oh my god, you’ll never believe— come in—”

Hakyeon eyed him warily as he stepped inside. “I am in a very good mood, so I sincerely hope you’re not about to shit all over that,” he said as Sanghyuk shut the door behind him, sealing them in the protection of the house’s wards.

“I’m not, I promise, I’m not.” Sanghyuk sounded almost giddy.

Hakyeon took Sanghyuk in with a sweeping glance: fully dressed, but his clothes were rumpled, like he’d been wearing them for a while, which made little sense for the time of day it was. His hair was relatively in order but looked a bit oily, and his eyes were somewhat red, dark smudges under them.

“Have you slept?” Hakyeon asked. “You haven’t, have you?”

“Ah, no, not yet—”

“You have a shift tonight!” Hakyeon said, glancing at the clock on the wall. “In like, eight hours.”

Sanghyuk was waving his hands at Hakyeon, seemingly trying to bat away Hakyeon’s words. “It’ll be fine, whatever, but look— look—” Sanghyuk made staying motions at him and zoomed out of the room, coming right back with alarming speed, holding a book in his hands. He thrust it at Hakyeon, who took it gingerly. It was heavy, though not very large or thick. The cover was made of worn brown leather, no hint of a title, and the paper was quite yellowed with age.

“Uh,” Hakyeon said, the definition of intelligence, “it’s a book.” He gave Sanghyuk a shrewd glance. “You stayed up all day reading, didn’t you?”

Sanghyuk nodded, practically vibrating with excitement. “Yes, but—”

“You’re such a nerd.”

“—it’s a copy of Beloved, Hakyeon,” Sanghyuk said, voice squeaky from excitement, before he frowned, suddenly. “I’m a nerd? Me? You have the collection of harlequin romance novels—”

Hakyeon made a noise, holding up a finger to silence him. “Shush, we don’t talk about that, you terrible little snoop,” Hakyeon hissed. He looked down at the book in his hands with new assessment. “Are you sure it’s the real thing?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I just got done reading it. It’s pretty— intense.” 

Hakyeon turned it over, examining it, then he opened it carefully. The ink was still pretty strong, the script unusual to his eyes but still readable. “Where on earth did you get it?” he whispered, fingertips skimming over a page. 

“Ah— Jaehwan gave it to me,” Sanghyuk muttered. 

Hakyeon snapped the book closed. “It’s Jaehwan’s book.”

“Technically it’s my book.”

Hakyeon bit down on his tongue. “But it was Jaehwan’s book.”

“It was more like his and Taekwoon’s maker’s book, from what I understand of the situation,” Sanghyuk said, clearly exasperated. “Oh, come on Hakyeon, are you really telling me you don’t want to read it just because it used to be semi-Jaehwan’s?”

“I am— am curious,” Hakyeon admitted. And he was, truly. He’d read a very small extract from it, many years ago, one of the few pieces that had survived. It was buried in the archives at HQ. And now he had the whole damn thing in his hands. “I guess it’s not the book’s fault it was previously in such sullied hands.”

“It’s just an innocent victim,” Sanghyuk said, indulging Hakyeon with a smile before he grew serious. “I think you should read it, Hakyeon. It’s— it’s pretty informative, about the human to vamp transformation.”

Hakyeon blinked, coloring a little. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

Sanghyuk held his hands up in mock surrender. “I just think it’s something you may benefit from, is all.” 

Hakyeon grunted in reply. He looked down at the book, frowning slightly. 

He _was_ quite curious. 

“I can borrow it?” Hakyeon asked. He didn’t want to stay here and read it, but it was quite a thing to be allowed to walk away with. He also didn’t even want to think about much it was worth. 

“Yeah, I finished it,” Sanghyuk said. “But uh, be careful with it, yeah? The fact that it is basically irreplaceable aside, it’s also highly illegal.”

“Our existence is illegal,” Hakyeon said, smiling tightly. “But yes, I will be careful with it.” He tucked it inside his coat, and reached out to give Sanghyuk a one-armed hug. “Thank you, Sanghyuk.”

Sanghyuk leaned against him for a moment, too tall for his own good. “Tell me what you think of it, alright?”

Hakyeon pulled away, not meeting his eyes. “I will.”

——

The apartment was dark as always when Hakyeon got back, dark and chilly. “It’s me,” he said softly as he pried his shoes off. 

“Mm, I know,” Taekwoon rasped, the words smooshing together a bit. The sun was still high in the sky above ground, so Taekwoon was correspondingly sleepy. “Come back to bed.”

“Actually, I need to turn the light on over here on for a second—” That was all the warning he gave before he flicked the living room standing lamp on, its pale yellow glow warming the immediate area. Taekwoon gave a long groan, shifting so his face was pressed into the pillow. Hakyeon laughed a little, pulling the book out of his coat and placing it on the coffee table. “It’s just for a second.”

There were some candles stuffed in a drawer, and Hakyeon pulled a fat one out and put it beside the book, lighting it deftly. “There,” he muttered, going to switch the lamp off. He didn’t need much light to read by, just a bit, and firelight was easier on Taekwoon’s eyes than the harsh artificial glare of lightbulbs. “Alright, light’s off.”

Hakyeon settled himself crosslegged on the floor, elbows on the coffee table as he pulled the book to himself. Taekwoon turned his face to the side, his eyes opening slowly, and even from this distance, Hakyeon could see the candlelight reflected in them. “You’re not coming back to bed,” Taekwoon said flatly, not a question. He squinted at Hakyeon, displeased.

“I’m not tired, and I want to read this— go back to sleep, I’ll be quiet,” Hakyeon said, gentle. He opened the book to the first page, careful not to damage the binding in the process. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Taekwoon roll over, giving a little sigh as he did so. Hakyeon felt himself smiling before he turned his full attention to the book in front of him.

He found himself far more riveted by the passages than he thought he’d be, almost as if the book was spelled somehow, to drag his mind in. It wasn’t, he knew, because his oak tree tattoo would have pitched a fit, but still. He consumed the words with an alarming quickness, turning the crackly pages carefully. 

_There was a boy_ , Hakyeon read, _he could not have been more than ten and three, scampering home from a long day at the mill. I tried, my beloved, to turn away from the temptation of his strong heartbeat, but his hands were sliced open from his work, the cuts oozing blood that called to me, and I surrendered._

Hakyeon exhaled a little shakily. “God,” he whispered, fingertips suddenly trembling.

There was a _thump_ behind him, and Hakyeon let out a short scream as he jumped, face whipping around to search out the source of the noise. Taekwoon had rolled out of bed less than gracefully, his legs slightly tangled in the sheets. 

“Fuck,” Hakyeon gasped, placing his hand over his heart as Taekwoon began to sleepily stumble toward him. “You scared me.”

“You were very engrossed,” Taekwoon whispered, his voice husky from sleep. His eyes were barely open, and he was moving quite slowly.

“Is the sun even down yet?” Hakyeon asked, wondering where the day had gone. 

“Mm,” Taekwoon replied. “But only barely.” He was looming over Hakyeon now, staring down at the book.

“Go back to bed,” Hakyeon said, pushing at Taekwoon’s shins through the sheet wrapped haphazardly around Taekwoon’s body.

It was like trying to move a boulder; Taekwoon didn’t even budge. Instead, he leaned down, touching his fingertips to the page that was sitting open in front of Hakyeon. “I know this book,” he murmured. “I read it, many years ago.”

Hakyeon blinked. “Really?”

“Mm,” Taekwoon said. “And I read _this_ copy specifically.” He looked curiously at Hakyeon. “This is what Sanghyuk wanted to speak to you about?”

“Ah, yeah,” Hakyeon said. “He read it and thought I’d like it.”

“He got it from Jaehwan.” 

Hakyeon’s face twisted. “Apparently, yes. But I decided the book was probably worth looking over this little fact.”

“It is. I found it quite— intriguing. Made me wonder if perhaps I should chronicle my own thoughts. But I had no one to write to.” Taekwoon was looking down at the book, a strange thoughtful expression on his face. 

“What is it?” Hakyeon asked.

Taekwoon shook his head, seeming a bit more alert. “It is just strange, Jaehwan willingly parting from any of his so-called treasures, his beloved possessions and relics of our master. Half of it all is mine, but whenever I go to actually claim it, Jaehwan throws a tantrum.”

“What do you take?” Hakyeon looked around, as if he’d somehow missed a cursed lounge chair or a charmed kettle.

“Small things to sell or trade, usually. I never keep anything.”

“Ah,” Hakyeon said, looking back at the book. “Well, maybe he didn’t much care about this?”

Taekwoon shook his head again. “He cares about all of it,” he said simply. “Jaehwan gave it to Sanghyuk?”

“I guess, yeah. Sanghyuk said it was a gift or something.”

Taekwoon made a humming noise. “Jaehwan must enjoy bedding him very much.”

“Ew,” Hakyeon said, face twisting. “I don’t like the idea of Sanghyuk being some kind of, I don’t know, kept human for Jaehwan to fuck and feed on.”

A pause. “I don’t think that’s what this is about,” Taekwoon murmured.

“Then what is it about?” 

Taekwoon moved away, clearly ending the conversation. “It is too soon to tell, one way or another.” 

Hakyeon grumbled, squinting at the back of Taekwoon’s head. “Don’t be all cryptic if you aren’t going to _divulge shit_.”

He sensed rather than saw Taekwoon’s smile. “Go back to reading, dearest.”


End file.
